Preserving SECU Members' Right To Serve On The SECU Board...

 

 The SECU Board is determined that SECU members - that means you! - should not have the ability to reasonably self-nominate to serve on the Board; nor should members have a choice among candidates. In other words, your vote as an SECU member-owner will no longer matter; your vote will not be counted. 

✔ Wait a minute that can't be right. What happened to cooperative democratic principles, "one member, one vote", and all that?  

Here's how it currently works at SECU: 1) To run for the Board an SECU member must apply to the nominating committee, 2) the nominating committee is selected by the Board, 3) the majority of the nominating committee are existing Board members, 4) the nominating committee chooses who can run, 5) one - and only one - candidate is selected for each vacancy, 6) incumbents are always favored - including this year!, 7) other qualified candidates not selected are given 3 weeks to obtain the signatures of at least 500 other members to qualify to run. Get the picture?

✔ But that's not the real problem In September, 2025 the SECU Board of Directors passed a bylaw amendment to try and make the difficult - independent member nominations - impossible. 

✔ Here's an example from the also large Pentagon Federal Credit Union of what those new petition requirements might look like:

  

 ✔ SECU now has over 3 million members. If this formula is adopted in the SECU Board approved amendment that would mean that a qualified member candidate would then have 3 weeks to obtain15,000+ petition signatures to be on the ballot. Get the picture?

✅ Two highly qualified, long-time SECU members, Julian Hawes and Barry Browning, are seeking 500 member signatures in order to self-nominate as candidates for the SECU Board election in 2026.  Both applied to the SECU nominating committee but were not selected - incumbents as usual were preferred.

✅ If you would like to receive a petition you can download just send an email request to: jimblainenc@gmail.com  You will receive a nominating petition for each of the candidates. You will find the name of each candidate printed in the upper right text. Please complete and sign a page for each candidate.*

1. Download and print off a set of petition forms from the return email (as many as you need!). 
2. Complete and sign a page for each candidate.*
3. Mail originals to: SECU Fair Elections, 3192 Cannadys Mill Rd., Franklinton, N.C. 27525
4. Please drop in the mail asap - by July 25th, if possible!

 This may be your last chance!

  * Your signature is not an endorsement of the candidates, it will simply permit them to run and make their case to the members in September.